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Chat settings control how the widget behaves over time — what happens when no agents are available, how conversations are routed to team members, and how your team manages the live chat inbox. These settings ensure the widget provides a consistent, professional experience whether your team is online or not.

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Operating hours

Operating hours define when live chat is active. Outside of configured hours, the widget can display an offline message, switch to an asynchronous mode, or be hidden entirely — preventing visitors from starting a conversation they will not receive a timely reply to.
1

Open the widget editor

Go to Sites > Chat Widget, click the three-dot icon on your widget, and select Edit.
2

Go to the Chat Window tab

Business hours settings for Live Chat widgets are in the Chat Window tab.
3

Configure business hours

Toggle Business Hours on. Set the days and time windows during which live chat is active. You can configure different hours for each day of the week.
4

Set the offline behavior

Choose what happens outside of business hours:
  • Show an offline message — the widget remains visible but displays a message that the team is unavailable (e.g., “We’re offline right now. Leave your name and email and we’ll follow up.”). Visitors can still submit their contact information.
  • Switch to SMS/Email mode — the widget switches to an asynchronous form so visitors can still leave a message without expecting a real-time reply.
  • Hide the widget — the chat bubble is hidden entirely outside business hours.
5

Save

Click Save to apply the business hours configuration.

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Offline message

The offline message appears when a visitor opens the chat widget outside of your configured business hours. Write a clear, friendly message that:
  • Acknowledges the team is unavailable
  • Sets expectations for response time (e.g., “We’re offline right now. We typically reply within 2 business hours.”)
  • Invites the visitor to leave their contact information
Configure the offline message in the Messaging tab under Chat-ended message or as a dedicated offline message field depending on the widget type.

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Conversation routing

Routing rules determine which team member or team sees incoming chat conversations.

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Round-robin assignment

New conversations can be assigned to agents in a round-robin sequence, distributing chats evenly across available team members. Configure round-robin in your Conversations settings under Conversation Routing.

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Manual assignment

Conversations start as unassigned and appear in the general inbox. Team members can claim or be manually assigned to a conversation from the Conversations inbox.

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Workflow-based routing

Use the Automation builder to create workflows triggered by new incoming conversations. A workflow can:
  • Assign the conversation to a specific user based on a tag, contact field, or source
  • Send an internal notification to the assigned agent
  • Add a contact to a pipeline stage
  • Trigger a follow-up sequence if the conversation is not responded to within a set time

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Notification sounds

Toggle notification sounds on or off in the Messaging tab. When enabled, agents hear a sound alert for new incoming messages in the Conversations inbox. This is useful when agents are multitasking and may not be watching the inbox constantly.

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Responding to chats

All incoming chat conversations appear in Conversations in the left sidebar. From the Conversations inbox:
  • View the contact’s name, email, and any other information they submitted in the widget form
  • Reply to the conversation in real time or asynchronously
  • Add internal notes visible only to your team (not the visitor)
  • Assign the conversation to a specific team member
  • Tag the conversation for organization and reporting
  • Trigger automation workflows from the conversation thread
  • View the contact’s full profile and history in the right panel

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Widget cloning for different routing needs

If you need different routing rules for different pages — for example, routing conversations from a sales page to the sales team and conversations from a support page to the support team — create separate widgets for each purpose and configure routing differently for each. Install the appropriate widget on each page.

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Chat conversation auto-close

Set a time limit for conversations to automatically close if there has been no activity. Auto-close prevents stale conversations from cluttering the inbox and ensures metrics like average conversation length remain accurate. Configure auto-close timing in your Conversations settings.
Routing and assignment settings are shared across all conversation channels, not just chat widgets. Changes you make in Conversations routing settings will apply to SMS, email, and other inbound channels as well. Review your full routing configuration before making changes if you have multiple active channels.
Set up a workflow that sends an internal Slack or email notification to an agent when a new chat conversation arrives outside of business hours. Even if live chat is offline, the agent can quickly assess whether to respond early or let the scheduled follow-up handle it.
Last modified on March 5, 2026